Officials of La Pointe Iron Co., one of the owners of the property that Gogebic Taconite unsuccessfully sought to develop as a massive open pit mine, met with local representatives in Hurley to discuss reviving mining plans.

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva has been aching for a chance to play meaningful minutes.

But he's not happy the chance could come due to an injury to starting power forward Yi Jianlian, who banged his right shoulder early in the Bucks' 91-83 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at the Bradley Center.

Yi, who has started all 48 games for the Bucks this season, underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday morning, and the team was awaiting test results.

"It just feels strange," said Yi, who had a hard time lifting his arm over his head Sunday but did travel with the team Monday as it left town for a two-game trip to Memphis and Dallas.

If Yi is unable to play tonight in Memphis, Villanueva would be in line to start for the first time this season.

"That's definitely an unfortunate situation," Villanueva said after the Bucks' practice session at the Cousins Center. "I don't want playing time like that. I don't wish harm on a teammate.

"But I understand the situation. The opportunity is there, and now I just have to seize it."

Villanueva's frustration has grown in recent weeks, and he felt compelled to address trade rumors on the blog he writes for NBA.com, with the league trade deadline approaching Feb. 21. He elaborated a bit on those comments Monday.

"Is a trade possible? It's possible, definitely," Villanueva said. "Anything can happen in this business. I feel like I didn't get traded here to be the ninth man. I'm playing 19 minutes a game. It's definitely frustrating, but I've got to stick with it and keep working and see what happens."

The Bucks made a strong commitment to Yi when they signed him on Aug. 29, and the 7-foot rookie earned the starting job in training camp. But Villanueva said Yi's starting role is not the issue.

"Coach (Larry Krystkowiak) told me at the beginning of the game, he wanted me to provide energy," Villanueva said. "I think I provided that in the Houston game, especially in the fourth quarter. But in the last 5 minutes of the game, I was on the bench. That means the most to me, the last 5 minutes. I was frustrated; I was bothered, to be honest."

Villanueva spent his rookie season with the Toronto Raptors, who finished with a 27-55 record in 2005-'06. Now he has endured two more losing seasons with the Bucks, including a 28-54 mark last season.

"I'm tired of losing, man," Villanueva said. "I don't want to go out there and say I want to get traded and this and that. It's not fair to my teammates, not fair to this organization.

"I'm going to still keep it professional, be the best player and best person I can be."

Villanueva was limited to 39 games, including 17 starts, last season while fighting injuries. He missed 10 games with a torn elbow ligament and 30 with right shoulder tendinitis, and eventually underwent shoulder surgery in late March.

This season the 6-foot-11 forward has averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds while playing 19.9 minutes per game.

The former Connecticut star averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in 25.2 minutes in his first season with Milwaukee, after being acquired in the June 2006 trade which sent point guard T.J. Ford to Toronto.

Last summer the Bucks picked up the 2008-'09 option year for $3.45 million. Villanueva is earning $2.7 million this season.

"It doesn't feel comfortable," he said when asked about his future with the Bucks. "Do I see myself here? It's hard to know. My contract is coming up, and that's definitely in the back of my mind."